Streamlining aircraft design
The time it takes from a new aircraft being conceived until it comes on to the market can be more than 10 years. During its development, complex simulation scenarios are used to predict the new aircraft's behaviour. Small-scale models are then tested in wind tunnels to verify the aircraft's aerodynamics. However, current numerical tools for such aircraft simulations are limited. This reduces the scope of innovation in aircraft development and limits aircraft design to a conservative level. The EU-funded 'Adaptive higher-order variational methods for aerodynamic applications in industry' (Adigma) project had as its main aim to improve this situation. The project's partnership comprised 22 organisations from 10 countries with well-proven expertise in computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The latter uses numerical methods to analyse fluid flows such as aircraft turbulence. The partners developed innovative numerical simulation techniques offering significant improvements in efficiency, accuracy and reliability. Improved simulation accuracy at reduced response time and at lower cost will allow CFD to be more widely used. This will be particularly relevant in large-scale aerodynamic simulations and will thus improve the aerodynamic design process at all stages of aircraft development. These new methods have the potential to significantly reduce both the time required to develop new planes and the time to market them. This will achieve an essential step towards reinforcing the competitiveness of the European aircraft industry in a global market place.
